is a cool, young, fun, hip show on the Travel channel. Five young aspiring journalists are selected and given $50 a day to travel to foreign countries and document their experiences for the whole world to see. They must explore and experience each country and write about it on the web. They are also given video cameras and asked to create 5 minute vlogs for each country.
I submitted my video applicaiton last December/January. Though I was not chosen, I may have been fairly close...
http://travel.discovery.com/
fansites/5takes/pacrim/main.html
(near the 30 second mark on the WEBISODE)
Soon, it will be time for another round of travel journalists to be selected. I feel like it's one of those things that everyone wants to do, like how everyone wanted to be a famous actress, singer, songwriter in middle school. So, I gave up on that one, but this just might be different...
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Dating: Korean Style
On a Saturday night, after accidentally losing my friends while dancing in the noise basement, I was just about to head home when I met a lovely man named Dong Hyun. Before heading home, I thought it would be a good idea to find the infamous and prestigious Juliana nightclub, which I've heard so much about. I ducked out of the rain, under a stairwell doorway to ask a few people in my best Korean: "club-uh Juliana, odi yo (where)?" Dong Hyun was the one who told me that this club used to be right in front of me, but it moved recently. We talked for a while and ended up exchanging phone numbers on the premise that he wanted to learn English, and I wanted to learn Taekwondo (which he teaches).
He called me within two days. I was surprised that one, he called, and two, he called so quickly. I think that boys in the U.S. should learn something here. ;) We planned to meet in Jongno at subway door number one at six the next day.
He arrived in a nice pinstripe business suit, as he had just gotten off work, and I in my girly, white, ruffled Korean top and jean capris, was happy to make it. He took me to a cool fusion restaurant in Jongno called Indipia. It was a charming evening. He was kind, and fun, and sweet, and sincere...all those things girls want in a man but have a hard time finding. Interestingly, he has only been speaking English for about 6 months. Though he started learning English in middle school, he said they never spoke English at school; they only memorized vocabulary and practiced writing. Regardless, it was painless to have a real conversation with him. Over a chapchae, sausage, washi? (fruit in a milky soup) dinner, we had a nice getting-to-know-you conversation and exhanged some funny stories. I told him about my work, how I'm teaching the Korean teenagers tongue twisters, and he decided to teach me a Korean one too. I'm still working on it. One of the funnier moments was when we started talking about words that don't mean anything, and somehow I ended up learning "suri suri ma suri" and teaching him the English translation "abracadabra" in return! Later, he was so patient to help me read the menu and speak with perfect intonation!
I loved his little mannerisms, he kept saying, "me?" everytime I asked him a question. And, it was cute how he'd ask me, "Do you love it?" instead of a more common phrase like, "tastes good, don't you think?". It made me giggle inside when he looked in the opposite direction, turning away from me each time we drank our soju (a sign of respect). I've seen this custom before on a Globe Trekker: Korea episode, but it was quite a different experience to sit across the table, one on one, in this situation. I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to do, so I just did it back! Everytime our small shot glasses of peach soju clinked in a toast, I forced myself to turn away slightly. Of course, my wandering eyes often glanced back at him to see if he was still doing it, and he was. I kept watching his glass to see if he was drinking the full shot glass or just a little bit--one never knows in this situation!
Overall, I had an enchanting evening. It was a million times better than the dude who stupidly took me to the DVD Bang on our first date and went home early, since I didn't want to make out with him. Dong Hyun, on the other hand, was a a real and kind character and I think I will be seeing him again soon. :) It was really fun to get to know a true Korean boy, and of course, a little romance is always welcomed.
He called me within two days. I was surprised that one, he called, and two, he called so quickly. I think that boys in the U.S. should learn something here. ;) We planned to meet in Jongno at subway door number one at six the next day.
He arrived in a nice pinstripe business suit, as he had just gotten off work, and I in my girly, white, ruffled Korean top and jean capris, was happy to make it. He took me to a cool fusion restaurant in Jongno called Indipia. It was a charming evening. He was kind, and fun, and sweet, and sincere...all those things girls want in a man but have a hard time finding. Interestingly, he has only been speaking English for about 6 months. Though he started learning English in middle school, he said they never spoke English at school; they only memorized vocabulary and practiced writing. Regardless, it was painless to have a real conversation with him. Over a chapchae, sausage, washi? (fruit in a milky soup) dinner, we had a nice getting-to-know-you conversation and exhanged some funny stories. I told him about my work, how I'm teaching the Korean teenagers tongue twisters, and he decided to teach me a Korean one too. I'm still working on it. One of the funnier moments was when we started talking about words that don't mean anything, and somehow I ended up learning "suri suri ma suri" and teaching him the English translation "abracadabra" in return! Later, he was so patient to help me read the menu and speak with perfect intonation!
I loved his little mannerisms, he kept saying, "me?" everytime I asked him a question. And, it was cute how he'd ask me, "Do you love it?" instead of a more common phrase like, "tastes good, don't you think?". It made me giggle inside when he looked in the opposite direction, turning away from me each time we drank our soju (a sign of respect). I've seen this custom before on a Globe Trekker: Korea episode, but it was quite a different experience to sit across the table, one on one, in this situation. I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to do, so I just did it back! Everytime our small shot glasses of peach soju clinked in a toast, I forced myself to turn away slightly. Of course, my wandering eyes often glanced back at him to see if he was still doing it, and he was. I kept watching his glass to see if he was drinking the full shot glass or just a little bit--one never knows in this situation!
Overall, I had an enchanting evening. It was a million times better than the dude who stupidly took me to the DVD Bang on our first date and went home early, since I didn't want to make out with him. Dong Hyun, on the other hand, was a a real and kind character and I think I will be seeing him again soon. :) It was really fun to get to know a true Korean boy, and of course, a little romance is always welcomed.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Food Photo Essay
Row 1: Soju bottle (vodka-like drink) and pa jeon (green onion and seafood pancake) left over after a feast; shabu shabu; roasting duck in a lifesized oven
Row 2: galbi (grilled beef ); jjigae (stew)
Row 3: samgyeopsal (grilled bacon-type pork); sundubu jjijae (tofu & clam stew)
Row 4: kimchi; maggeolli (rice wine), McDonald's World Cup-inspired burger bun
Row 5:sanchae bibimbap (bibimbap made with mountain vegetables); ohgyeopsal (grilled bacon-type pork)
Row 6: fish banchan (one of the many side dishes that might be served with your meal); shabu shabu cooking pot
Row 7: hammuldeopbap (fried seafood dish), bulgogi (beef), Boisingtang (dog soup)
Row 8: Popingsu (shave ice and red bean), gimbap (Korean sushi roll)
It's getting HOT in here
It feels like a humid indoor swimming pool, a workout center with no air conditioning, a sauna--with that dense, thick, sticky air! On rainy days, I lift my umbrella up and down as I pass the other umbrellas, and I avoid wearing flip flops that splash dirt up onto my skirt. It is monsoon season in Korea. All of the Koreans are going on vacations, trying to get away from the weather...while I'm struggling to acclimate to the humidity and warm temperatures. The other night I was so miserable--I was too hot to wear anything but underwear, but kept waking up in the middle of the night from being attacked by the mosquitoes in my room! Feels like camping! haha. Everyday, my morning walk to work is quite a chore, arriving to work damp and sweaty, desperately planting myself in front of the air conditioner to restore my feminine Korean woman look before class begins. And the worst part is that the weather zaps my energy! I wouldn't dream of doing things like working out or going on a hike or bike ride, let alone taking unnecessary trips out of my house in this weather. I just feel like sitting in front of the air conditioner and avoiding the outdoors. EWWWE!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
"I am sick today"
I am not sure what feels worse than being sick in a foreign country. Waking up with a stomach ache and back cramps so painful that it aches to stand up or lie down...It's a not a happy way to start the day. Neither is losing hundreds of dollars from missing work for two days. It was frustrating to wake up in this situation and feel so helpless. My house provisions included a few packets of Korean Ramyun, some rice and curry, and some yucky ketchup-tasting tomato sauce from the night we tried to do Italian (not a good idea). Our only house computer with Internet died the night before, some strange battery problem, I think. And, with no idea where the hospital was or how to get there, I was beginning to feel very very very small.
I called in sick that day and layed around feeling better and worse and better and worse. Still sick the next day, my friend from work kindly borrowed the boss' car and took me to the "Hospital" (Hospital is a generic word used for doctor in Korea. People say that there are no general doctors in Korea, just Hospitals. However, my experience in "hospital" seemed no different than a small dentist sized office; a specialist office it was). Funny enough, what may have been a 20 or 30 minute walk through the neighborhood took twice that long to get there by death defying swerves and U turns in the car. It's a nightmare and a thrill trying to drive around this town. There are way too many cars and people and not so many left turn areas. Regardless, I eventually arrived at the doctor's office and had my friend translate some of my vitals. I was surprised by the lack of paperwork. They never even once asked for my ID, just a name, birthday and phone number. Within fifteen minutes, I was on my way, only $13 lighter (plus another $12 for prescriptions--the expensive price because I didn't have health insurance). Maybe it was mostly a mind trick, but seeing the doctor suddenly made me feel like I was better. I suddenly got my appetite back and enjoyed a big serving of bulgogi afterwards (Family, does this remind you of the time when I was little and puked in a Coke can in the backseat of the car and then asked for french fries?). The medicine made me feel heaps better too. That, and an evening curled up next to the laptop with a Korean romantic comedy titled "My Sassy Girl" was just enough to get me back on my feet. Today I was back at work, working tirelessly, again doing my recent routine. I also got a follow-up phone call from the doc, who said that I need not worry about having kidney stones or a kidney infection. Some terrible stomache illness with an -itis ending was the cause of this commotion. I think that's good news, since I'm feeling much better today.
I called in sick that day and layed around feeling better and worse and better and worse. Still sick the next day, my friend from work kindly borrowed the boss' car and took me to the "Hospital" (Hospital is a generic word used for doctor in Korea. People say that there are no general doctors in Korea, just Hospitals. However, my experience in "hospital" seemed no different than a small dentist sized office; a specialist office it was). Funny enough, what may have been a 20 or 30 minute walk through the neighborhood took twice that long to get there by death defying swerves and U turns in the car. It's a nightmare and a thrill trying to drive around this town. There are way too many cars and people and not so many left turn areas. Regardless, I eventually arrived at the doctor's office and had my friend translate some of my vitals. I was surprised by the lack of paperwork. They never even once asked for my ID, just a name, birthday and phone number. Within fifteen minutes, I was on my way, only $13 lighter (plus another $12 for prescriptions--the expensive price because I didn't have health insurance). Maybe it was mostly a mind trick, but seeing the doctor suddenly made me feel like I was better. I suddenly got my appetite back and enjoyed a big serving of bulgogi afterwards (Family, does this remind you of the time when I was little and puked in a Coke can in the backseat of the car and then asked for french fries?). The medicine made me feel heaps better too. That, and an evening curled up next to the laptop with a Korean romantic comedy titled "My Sassy Girl" was just enough to get me back on my feet. Today I was back at work, working tirelessly, again doing my recent routine. I also got a follow-up phone call from the doc, who said that I need not worry about having kidney stones or a kidney infection. Some terrible stomache illness with an -itis ending was the cause of this commotion. I think that's good news, since I'm feeling much better today.
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